US Fire Ins. Co. v. HAYDEN BONDED STORAGE

930 So. 2d 686, 2006 WL 862845
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedApril 5, 2006
Docket4D05-4
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 930 So. 2d 686 (US Fire Ins. Co. v. HAYDEN BONDED STORAGE) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
US Fire Ins. Co. v. HAYDEN BONDED STORAGE, 930 So. 2d 686, 2006 WL 862845 (Fla. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

930 So.2d 686 (2006)

UNITED STATES FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellant,
v.
HAYDEN BONDED STORAGE COMPANY, a Florida corporation, Appellee.

No. 4D05-4.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.

April 5, 2006.
Rehearing Denied June 29, 2006.

*687 Mitchell L. Shadowitz of Shadowitz Associates, P.A., Boca Raton, for appellant.

Heidi M. Roth of Heidi M. Roth, P.A., Coral Gables, for appellee.

SWEET, GARY L., Associate Judge.

The salient issue in this appeal is whether an insurer/indemnitor, which has no *688 duty to defend its insured, but is alleged to have breached its duty to indemnify, may be bound by a Coblentz[1] settlement agreement/consent judgment negotiated by its insured/indemnitee and the claimant. The court below found such a breach and bound the insurer. Because there is no basis to find such a breach, we reverse the trial court. In so doing, we do not reach the larger question of whether, in this context, the duty to indemnify is coterminous with the duty to defend.

Facts

The facts of this case are summarized as follows:

The Jacobs Litigation

The insured, Hayden Bonded Storage Company[2] (Hayden), operated a moving and storage business. On June 30, 1994, Hayden contracted with Gayle Jacobs (Jacobs), agreeing to pick up Jacobs' furniture and personal property, deliver some of the items to a new residence, and store the remainder at its warehouse. The form language of the storage documents provided Hayden's liability for any damage to the items arising out of transportation or storage was limited to $0.30 per pound, unless otherwise stated. Jacobs was afforded the option of purchasing additional valuation and, in two of the documents, $35,070 was handwritten in as the valuation. The bill of lading limited Hayden's liability for damage to the property to $0.30 per pound up to a maximum of $2,000.

On August 17, 1994, Jacobs filed a statement of claim with Hayden, claiming some of the items delivered to her home on June 30, 1994, were damaged; the statement of claim placed an actual cash value of $500,000 on the transported property and claimed damages of $15,000.

In 1995, Jacobs asked Hayden to deliver the remainder of the items from the storage warehouse. When the items arrived, Jacobs refused to accept them, insisting the property was damaged by water and mold. Thereafter, Jacobs ceased making the monthly storage payments. Subsequently, Hayden sent Jacobs a letter, indicating she was more than $11,000 in arrears and threatening to place a lien upon her property. Jacobs instituted a court action for injunctive relief to prevent the sale of the property. Hayden notified its insurer, United States Fire Insurance Company (USFIC), and requested a defense.

Hayden was insured under an inland marine policy issued by USFIC. The policy included a "Furniture Warehouse Policy" form and contained the following relevant provisions:

1. PROPERTY COVERED
This policy covers the legal liability of the insured as a common carrier, bailee (or warehouseman) under bills of lading, shipping receipts, or storage agreements, issued or accepted by the insured, with respect to shipment or storage of lawful goods . . . .
....
7. VALUATION
All property for which the insured's legal liability is insured hereunder is by agreement valued at the amount of invoice or if not under invoice then at cash market value on date and at place of shipment, except however, the liability of the company shall not exceed the value as shown in tariff documents, bills of lading or shipping receipts if any, nor *689 shall the company's liability in any event exceed what it would then cost to repair or replace the cargo lost or damaged with other of like kind and quality.
....
11. INDEMNIFICATION
It is the purpose of this insurance to indemnify the insured only to the amount which the insured shall become liable to pay and shall pay in respect of the property. In no event does this policy cover the liability of the insured for the payment of any fines, assessments, damages, attorney's fees, court costs, or any other penalties which the insured shall be required to pay as a result of the violation of any law or regulation relating to the delay in the payment, denial or settlement of any claim for loss.
12. ADMISSION OF LIABILITY
The insured shall not voluntarily admit any liability nor settle any claims nor incur any expenses without the specific authority of the company . . . . In event of legal action being brought against the insured in respect to alleged loss or damage which might constitute a claim under this policy, the insured shall give immediate notice to the company, and the company reserves the right at its sole option to defend such action in the name and on behalf of the insured and will pay all legal expenses incurred by the company in connection with any action it undertakes to defend, also any judgment against the insured subject, however, to all the valuations and limitations provided for in this policy.

USFIC indicated it would not provide a defense in the matter, citing the policy language which gave it the "sole option" to defend. Nonetheless, it tendered $35,070 — the amount written into the storage contract and the customer protection plan documents as the value for Jacobs' property. Jacobs rejected the tender and filed suit against Hayden, claiming Hayden was grossly negligent in handling her property and, as a result, some property was damaged during the initial June 1994 delivery and the remainder sustained water and mildew damage during storage. Jacobs' complaint sought damages in excess of $500,000. In response, the insurer reiterated it was not obligated to provide a defense and was not denying coverage, as it had tendered what it contended was its limit of liability, $35,070.

Eventually, Hayden and Jacobs executed a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement provided in relevant part:

1. Defendant, HAYDEN BONDED STORAGE WAREHOUSE, INC., hereby agrees to a final judgment entered against it in favor of Plaintiff, GAYLE JACOBS, in the amount of Four Hundred Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($475,000.00).
....
3. Plaintiff hereby agrees that the "Final Judgment" . . . shall not be . . . recorded in any official record book . . . . The Plaintiff ... further agrees to forever forgo and forbear and refrain payment by the Defendant, its heirs, representatives, successors and assigns, of that final judgment . . . and agrees not to execute or collect or attempt to collect against the Defendant. . . . If the Plaintiff... is unsuccessful in an attempt to collect said judgment from United States Fire Insurance Company, then the Defendant . . . shall be in no way obligated to pay said judgment.
....
8. It is specifically understood ... that. . . the obligation of the Defendant to *690 pay said judgment shall only be due to the extent that funds are recovered from United States Fire Insurance Company. . . .
9. In the event the Defendant fails to prevail in its action against United States Fire Insurance Company and fails upon appeal, then Defendant shall pay to the Plaintiff the sum of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00).. . .

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
930 So. 2d 686, 2006 WL 862845, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/us-fire-ins-co-v-hayden-bonded-storage-fladistctapp-2006.